I am Zim
by HaleyRiler
Summary: A series of standardized tests alter the fate of worlds as Zim races to finish his mission so that he can return to Irk and aid in the war against Meekrob. Meanwhile, Dib tells his side of the story and reflects on how a little bit of luck can turn your world upside down. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1: Impending Doom

**Author's Note: Due to school, work, and other circumstances I haven't really had the time or inspiration to write and so it has been a long time (I'd say around 5 years actually) since I have attempted to write anything substantial. I had actually started to write this story so that I could get back into practice and to try a style I have never really attempted before (1st person). I love Invader Zim and so I immediately knew what I wanted to write about and what story I wanted to take place (something that never EVER happens). I began going over the series in greater detail to get all the facts I could (even though I have already seen the series multiple times) and to my excitement I found that a new movie was going to be made! I can't say for certain what the movie will be about but if it happens to have a similar plot I hope that this can at least prove to be an enjoyable story. Although I will say that this story will likely be far more violent than anything that will be released. I also do not plan to place any romantic pairings in this story.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **HaleyRiler**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Impending Doom**

Imagine what it would be like if you couldn't even trust your closest friend not to kill you. Now imagine what it would be like if your closest friend was also the person most likely to kill you. Imagine if you could never tell the truth and were lightyears away from anything you could remotely refer to as family other than a malfunctioning robot. And even if you were to return home you would be regarded as a worthless failure who would likely be carted off to be reprogrammed to produce a more uniform soldier that might be capable of succeeding.

This is my life… and I tremble at the very thought of it.

Bravado is a necessity in this world though. Although the loneliness and fear are crippling, if you force yourself to foolishly believe that you can accomplish whatever you set out to do the fear will at least subside long enough for you to move forward… if only one step at a time. It is still only a matter of time, however, until reason begins to set in and the fear, the loneliness, and the anger threaten to push you to your knees.

As an Irkin loneliness comes with the territory. From the moment we are born independence is expected. Programmed with the thoughts, feelings, and memories of past generations we are confronted with every emotion on the Irkin scale and yet we cannot replicate the very feelings we crave. Instead we compartmentalize our memories and block off anything that could potentially compromise our missions or our minds. I have never been very good at this, however.

I scare myself sometimes. I can tell that I'm beginning to crack under the pressure. I catch myself having thoughts about the very people I begged to send me on my mission… thoughts of their eyes staring back at me from decapitated heads. Their expressions are always of complete disbelief as they stare at me from the floor.

I've always dreamt of looming over the Tallest. I guess that's why these kind of images claw their way through all of the mental barriers I've set. The fantasy is as appealing as it is appalling to me.

That I would even think about something so disgusting has got to say something about my mental state. My blood turns to ice every time I think about what unseemly thoughts my PAK might be recording. It's bad enough that I've already been blamed for the deaths of two previous Tallest.

I just hope that my thoughts are never passed on… and yet this is the very definition of death for an Irkin. After our PAKs are removed our bodies are nothing but drooling shells. It is only through our PAKs that we are able to live on. To have one's thoughts, feelings, and experiences deemed unworthy for future generations is a complete rejection of who you are as an Irkin and I know that if I were to ever face a trial board they would bring these controversial thoughts into question along with all of my previous miscalculations.

I've tried turning my poisonous thoughts toward the humans but all I seem to be able to manage is contempt. Directing my hatred at creatures so stupid seems pointless. I can't say I would blame them if they hated me. I would even welcome their hatred if they hated me for the reasons they should.

The whole pathetic species seems to be made up of petty morons, however. I've only ever encountered two humans intelligent enough to see through my pathetic disguise. One believes me to be incapable of succeeding in my mission due to a perceived lack of intelligence. The other would like nothing more than to see me on an autopsy table undergoing vivisection just so the world would believe him for once.

Acceptance… a dream we both chase I suppose. It just so happens that acceptance for one of us means the destruction of the other. These two are the only humans I can even imagine myself hating.

The very implication that I am incompetent makes my blood boil. I could almost kill the pathetic human. Something about her screams danger, however, and I, although I am no coward, feel taking her on directly would spell disaster for the mission. I will instead settle for the look on her wretched face when I conquer her pitiful world and prove her wrong.

As for Dib… I would never admit it out loud but I see myself in him sometimes. Although we're from different worlds, both literally and figuratively, he is the only other being who seems to have felt the same crippling loneliness and blatant rejection that I have. I wonder sometimes if he can sense how similar we truly are…

Leave it to a reject Irkin to empathize with a human I suppose. Perhaps the Tallest have reason to look down on me. Maybe I really am defective…

I stare down at my hands, studying them as though they were criminals in a lineup. Eventually I close my eyes and sigh, letting my arms fall to my sides.

Irkins have no need to sleep as long as their bodies are healthy and their PAKs are charged. Still… I can't help but feel… tired.

I turn my attention to the corner of the kitchen where an empty box of taquitos rests.

GIR used to distract me from this sort of feeling. Now that he's gone I'm not quite sure how to continue…

Due to an impending war with Meekrob, The Tallest ordered me to shut GIR down for the time being. SIR units across the galaxy were slowly being hacked into, turned into listening devices, and even remotely controlled by enemy forces.

The order made sense. GIR had allowed Dib to contact The Tallest after a simple request while I was away on Foodcourtia. Still… I almost miss him. The silence is unnerving in more ways than one.

The war was apparently started due to the delivery of a package of malfunctioning SIR units meant to be sent elsewhere. Invader Tenn's cover was subsequently blown and the armada's plans were revealed. I of course insisted that I join the soldiers on Meekrob to help expedite their surrender.

I was denied, however. After all… I still have a mission to complete. At least I can take comfort in the fact that no one could possibly blame me for the mess this operation has caused. I've already received enough mockery and disrespect for the misunderstanding involving Operation Impending Doom I.

Now that I think about it, however, my mistakes there likely factored into The Tallest's decision to keep me away from the warzone. After all I was, at least partially, responsible for the failure of Operation Impending Doom I... Even if The Tallest decided to keep me out of the war due to their disappointment with my previous endeavors I wouldn't be able to argue. The Tallest refused to accept any unnecessary transmissions. Meekrob recently attempted to hack into the Massive's computer system. And a fallen invader's terminal had been used to launch the attack.

I have heard rumors that the prison planet Vort is currently under siege. Recruiting any willing former Vortian scientists would be their first move if they were to take the prison… or at least that would be my first move if I were in their position. Such a move would cripple the armada.

Most Irkin technology has been enhanced by or developed by Vortian techs. I have always disagreed with this decision. I still rely on Vortian technology, however, I've made sure to change all access codes and reprogram all systems vital to my operation. I even built my own voot runner.

Only The Tallest are allowed to contact the invaders. I was told that I would be contacted as soon as our communication systems were deemed secure. The fact is, however, it is difficult to tell when something is truly secure. I know now that the only option I have left is to finish the mission as quickly as possible and attempt to meet up with The Tallest on Irk.

There's only one problem with this plan… Due to a series of standardized tests I will be unable to skip Skool without arousing suspicion. The tests are scheduled to last at least a few days and while the tests will surely be child's play to an Irkin invader bathroom breaks will be strictly monitored to prevent cheating and so I will be trapped in the classroom for the majority of the week. Setting anything significant in motion will be difficult.

Shaking my head with irritation (and perhaps a touch of anxiety) I suddenly realize that the room has grown cold. Irk is generally a cold place and yet the winters here on Earth still send shivers through my antennas. I start to yell at GIR for leaving the door open when I realize that GIR is no longer capable of doing anything.

I had thought I was cold before but now… Now a different type of cold came over me. My mind immediately leapt to Meekrob and both fear and anger coursed through me like a torrent.

The hunt was on…

* * *

 **Dib**

 **Looking Back**

Looking back on everything that has happened up until now I don't think I could have ever predicted the kind of impact a series of standardized tests would have upon my life and the fate of the world. The day had started out fairly normal. I had absentmindedly packed my lunch, forgotten to shut off my bedroom light, and headed out the door wondering what ghastly plans Zim had in store for the world this week.

Gaz had snapped at me already for interrupting her first play through of Game Slave 4 and I had wondered briefly about the fact that I couldn't remember seeing a Game Slave 3 ever gracing the shelves before Game Slave 4 had appeared. I hadn't even considered that the events that followed that day might result in another invasion or that I would be standing on Irk in a few weeks. All I remember was that it was cold.

It was the beginning of March and the IFATTS were about to begin. I stopped by Zim's house on my way to school. Peering in the windows I noticed that he wasn't in the living room. For some reason I got the feeling that I was being watched.

The gnomes also seemed oddly stationary. I even walked up to them to see if I could trigger a change in them. Even as I did so, however, the gnomes remained still.

I remember smiling slightly and going up to the door to see if I could take a few quick photos before school. Still I could not shake the feeling that I was being watched. This bothered me a little and I paused after opening the door a crack. Somehow I felt that if I stepped inside I would set something big into motion.

Finally I decided that Zim must have laid a trap for me and made my way back to the sidewalk. I thought that if I at least left his door open I could freeze his house and hopefully screw with his head. I reasoned that if he knew I was there and that I didn't activate whatever trap he had in store for me I could at least annoy and perhaps even discourage him from setting the same trap again.

Little did I know that Zim had never set a trap for me. Nor would I have ever guessed that the trap was for Zim himself…


	2. Chapter 2: Paranoia

**Chapter 2: Paranoia**

I waited for what seemed like an hour but was really only a matter of seconds. Immediately changing into my disguise, I ordered the computer to shut all doors. I had the distinct feeling that the doorway was being watched and I felt compelled to stay as far away from it as possible. Knowing that I still had to make an appearance at SKOOL, however, I made my way to the back of the house and ordered the computer to open a temporary door beside the toilet.

I shivered slightly as cold air whipped into the kitchen and made a mental note to invest in one of those coat things humans seemed to be wearing lately. Taking one last look around the house and to either side of the new door I hopped outside and attempted to climb the fence just behind the house. Struggling to force my lower-half over the fence I gave one last push before toppling headfirst into the shrubs on the other side.

Picking the branches out of my disguise I began my walk to SKOOL, limping a little from my unexpected fall.

"I'm just being paranoid. There's no way I have been discovered already! I've even shut GIR down. If anyone were to discover my location they would have had to follow GIR!"

Feeling a little bit better about my situation, I stood up a little straighter and started walking a little slower.

"Concentrating on how I could best utilize my bathroom breaks during today's testing should be today's focus. Still… I'll have the computer monitor the house for any suspicious activity just in case."

* * *

 **Dib**

 **SKOOL**

Zim seemed lost in thought when he finally arrived for SKOOL. Initially this satisfied me as I thought that my escape had perplexed him. It wasn't long before I realized this wasn't the case, however.

He didn't even glance in my direction once. He almost completely ignored my attempts to shame his pathetic attempts to trick me. The only thing that seemed to garner his attention for even a moment was the fact that his garden gnomes had remained motionless upon my arrival.

I hadn't even revealed the fact that I was the one who had opened his front door and yet he stared at me so intensely that I could almost feel his red eyes burning their way through his contacts. It was odd. I was familiar with his angry tirades. I could handle those. But this…

I could tell immediately that it wasn't me he was angry with. It was as if he had forgotten that I even existed. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he turned to find his seat.

There was no angry retort or dismissive insult. He simply sat down. Somehow this infuriated me.

It was bad enough that everyone else disregarded what I had to say without Zim joining in. I almost followed him, about to berate him for ignoring me when I noticed his eyes carefully scanning the room. That was when I realized: something had gotten under his skin. The presence I had so keenly felt standing at his doorstep had never been Zim. Instead, it was something else that seemed to be aware of Zim's true identity or at least posed a great threat to his mission.

I should have felt relieved. I should have jumped for joy and attempted to shake the answers from Zim. Instead I stayed seated. My legs seemed to be curiously uncooperative and instead I felt a great sense of unease in my stomach. Whatever this thing was I was sure it wasn't human and that it was out for blood.

When the sugar free gum began to circulate around the room I absentmindedly shoved it in my mouth without thinking. Somewhere in the back of my mind I noted that the gum tasted old and that it had likely been confiscated from other students and stockpiled in the back of Ms. Bitter's desk for this express purpose. My dad had always told me that chewing gum could somehow increase concentration. Still… I don't believe I have ever seen him chew a single stick.


	3. Chapter 3: Ignition

**Chapter 3: Ignition**

Fidgeting slightly as I sat down I began to think about my situation. Chewing on the end of my pencil seemed to help calm my nerves. Still… I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.

Out of the blue something bounced off the side of my head. I looked around the room one last time before turning my attention to Dib. When something was wrong I could usually blame him. His shenanigans, for whatever reason, were never ending and I could usually count on at least one attempt on my cover per day.

Humans are pathetically stupid creatures so this normally doesn't affect the mission. Any sort of acknowledgment of his antics during the test would result in a scene, however, and I would prefer to go on relatively unnoticed today. I will therefore let his actions go for now. There will be plenty of time to berate him later after the Meekrob have been defeated.

I watched the children around me with a bit of apprehension. Something called "gum" was being passed around and all of the children were shoving the sticks in their mouths. No one seemed to be swallowing the substance, however, they simply chewed it. Some even blew bubbles with the substance. This, however, seemed to earn them a particularly nasty look from Ms. Bitters.

Slowly looking down at my desk I saw that what had actually been thrown at me was a stick of gum. I turned to see Dib leisurely placing a stick in his mouth as he watched me. He seemed to be daring me not to chew the stick he had thrown at me.

Surely simply chewing something so small wouldn't hurt… turning my head slightly toward him I stuck my tongue out. Placing the gum in my mouth, I began focusing on the exam that had just been handed out. It tasted sweet.

I feel good about myself and smile slightly just to irritate Dib and let him know that the task had gone without a hitch.

A few moments pass, however, and I began to feel unusual…

My limbs feel heavy and my hand is twitching. My forehead suddenly feels slick. I try to spit the gum out but find it difficult to summon enough strength to get it all the way out.

My vision wavers and I feel my squeedlyspooch writhe in agony. I glance down at the gum wrapper. The label reads: Pee Pee's Sugar Free Cinnamon Gum!

I raise my hand as high as manageable, trying desperately to flag down Ms. Bitters.

"I… I would like to use the restroom…" I finally choke out, using what little energy I can muster.

"Hold it. Jeremy already has the pass. You'll just have to wait your turn."

Starting to glare back I decide instead to run for the bathroom. Even if it means risking detention writing words on a chalkboard pales in comparison to the pain and punishment I would receive if the humans were to discover my true identity. The Tallest would likely testify at my trial themselves that my PAK should be erased. Detention was definitely worth it.

Attempting to stand I felt my knees immediately give out, cracking my jaw on the edge of my desk on the way down. My mind screams that something is terribly wrong as I struggle to make sense of where I am. I vaguely understand that I am hugging my squeedlyspooch but everything else is a blur washed in blinding agony. The world's eyes have to be on me. There's no way that they aren't. And yet all I seem to be able to do is breathe and even that is becoming increasingly difficult.

I bite my lower lip hard, feeling fresh blood flow into my mouth as my teeth sink in. Air rushes in, filling every ounce of my being, and yet it does nothing to diminish the pain or the breathlessness. I feel like a balloon: stretched to the limit. I attempt to open an eye but quickly slam it shut as another wave of fiery pain shoots through my abdomen and into every nerve.

Gradually I feel the pain began to subside but my senses are dull. I can hear children gathering around me and even Ms. Bitter's vain protests in the background but somehow even their thudding footsteps and loud chatter seem far away.

This is it… My cover is blown… The mission is over…

Hot tears began to roll down the side of my face.

I've failed… and this time there is no second chance.

* * *

 **Dib**

 **Proof**

I remember looking on in utter disbelief as Zim writhed on the floor. I felt a rush of adrenaline and I smiled. I had finally won.

The wig Zim had used to hide his antennae had slipped from his head. I even started to point to the pink, inhuman blood pouring from his lip but stopped myself short. I watched as the other children gathered, gossiping around him as if he weren't even there. No one even glanced in my direction. Instead, they passed by me like a river around a rock; fascinated by the unexpected turn of events.

I felt anger inexplicably bubble up in my chest and I wasn't even sure where it was coming from or who I was angry at. Finally I decided to bury my anger. If I couldn't get anyone to listen to me in the classroom I could at least try to find the nurse. I ran from the room before Ms. Bitters had a chance to protest and headed to the nurse's office, nearly pushing her to the door of the classroom after I'd found her. It was clear that she had no idea what was happening but when she saw the children gathered around Zim she immediately ran to his side to take his pulse.

His pulse was slow and seemed only to be getting slower. I took a picture as she took note of his antennae and shuddered slightly as though she thought he had contracted some sort of strange disease. She gently touched one and it twitched away in response. She shuddered and drew back in revulsion. The children were all ordered to back away then (though few actually budged). Even Ms. Bitters wasn't a strong enough force to motivate them that day.

I hadn't even realized that I'd called the Swollen Eyeball before I distantly heard someone answer and say hello for the second time. It sounded like Agent Dark Booty.

"I've finally caught him… Zim. I have witnesses. He's headed to the nurse's office. I have pictures."


	4. Chapter 4: Panic

**Chapter 4: Panic**

"I think I'm going to be sick…" I think to myself, a roaring headache racing to meet me as I attempt to pick myself up and find myself unable to move.

Panic surges through my system as fragments of what had just happened race through my mind. My eyes snap open and I find myself lying on some sort of table. I struggle to move my wrists and ankles but find them restrained.

A panicked scream rises in my chest but I force myself to remain calm. I can't panic. I have to stay calm and survey the situation.

The room seems to be empty apart from a tray of instruments and, what appears to be, a surveillance camera. My restraints are made from some sort of leather it seems. I can hear muffled shouts somewhere above me but it is difficult to discern exactly where they are coming from. I suspect that they are coming from behind what appears to be a large mirror on the back wall. My PAK remains intact but my uniform has been removed.

I shiver as a mixture of fear and revulsion runs through me. I have to get out of here. My identity has obviously been compromised, however, it doesn't seem as though my body has been physically tampered with just yet.

I attempt to release one of my mechanical arms from within my PAK but it refuses to budge. It seems to have been fitted with similar restraints. I wonder how humans could possibly know to do such a thing when I see a trail of dark red blood leading out of the room.

I must have reflexively attacked someone with my PAK in my disorientated state. That must be the reason for the arguing above me. They must be arguing about how best to proceed.

An image of filthy human scientists attempting to remove my PAK flashes through my mind and I cringe at the thought. Suddenly the arguing stops.

"They seem to have noticed that I'm awake…" I think to myself and strain my antennae to listen for approaching footsteps.

I can hear something faint in the distance but it's difficult to discern just what it is.

Immediately I focus on the lasers in my PAK. Perhaps I can burn through the restraints before whatever lurks just outside can make its way inside. This thought gives me a little hope and my heart slows slightly.

The laser begins to work its way through the strap, however, I am unable to utilize the laser's full capability due to the fact that it is unable to expand. Still… it seems to be working. Sooner or later I will be free to move my mechanical limbs and cut through all of the restraints.

Suddenly I hear the door open. It bangs heavily back into place and my antennae instinctively flatten against my head. I blink before straining to see who has just entered.

The first thing to enter my line of sight is a piece of metal. It looks to be a blast shield of some sort. A head later appears and it seems to be a tall man with a white goatee.

"See… I told you Mothman wasn't _completely_ crazy." The man exclaims to someone hidden behind the blast shield.

"I'm still not convinced. It still very well could be some kid in a costume. I'll bet those antennae are attached to some sort of headband under the suit." Another man protested, gesturing toward his antennae.

"He just killed someone with that backpack thing of his!" The first man exclaimed.

"I never said he was sane." The other man protested.

The first man slapped his forehead in frustration.

"Whatever. Forever the skeptic Jerry. Forever the skeptic. Just destroy the fucking backpack and I'll prove it to you!"

Panic rose in my chest as I internally begged the laser to work faster. My limbs still wouldn't move an inch. Apprehensive, I shifted my gaze back to the blast shield, expecting to see the humans reaching for some sort of horrible device.

Instead the blast shield dropped to the floor and to my amazement the two men began wrestling and bickering on the floor. Heedless to their surroundings, the two men knock over the cart containing the instruments and they scatter across the floor in front of me.

"I won't let you dissect some stupid kid!" One shouted.

"That's no kid! For all we know he's older than we are!" The other shouted.

Blinking for a moment, I attempted to process exactly what was happening before realizing that my laser had finally cut through the straps restraining my PAK.

In a matter of seconds my mechanical limbs are free and slashing at the remaining restraints.

Alarms sound and the two men stop fighting for a moment to focus their attention on the flashing lights.

Taking advantage of the confusion I leap over the side of the table and look around in a desperate attempt to find my uniform.

I finally spy it folded beneath the side of the table nearest the two squabbling men. By this point, however, the men have regained their composure. I gasp and let out a scream as a blade barely misses my torso. The man with a goatee has picked up one of the scalpels from the contents of the tray.

The other man grabs me from behind. I can feel him wrestling with my PAK and I immediately send my mechanical arms shooting through his torso. Warm red blood showers over me and the man's full weight falls forward, pushing me closer to the man with the goatee. At that same moment he strikes at me in a blind rage.

I feel a burning pain race through my abdomen but can't afford to waste a moment on my wound as he seemed to be gearing up for another swing.

I quickly dodge only to find my uniform directly beside me. I grab it, my hands soaked with a mixture of human and irkin blood, and tumble over the remaining contents of the tray. I shakily grab one at random and race for the door but it won't open.

A card reader flashes just above my head and I scream as the man attempts to slash at me once again. I attempt to dodge out of the way but find that he has feinted and grabbed onto my mechanical limbs instead. I struggle to free them but discover that his grip is too strong.

I instead plunge the instrument in my hand deep into his thigh.

This causes him to shriek in pain and loosen his grip. I instantly use my PAK to whip him away from me and race back to the dead man to retrieve his ID. I can feel my vision start to grow fuzzy from blood loss.

"Have to get out of here! Can't pass out, can't pass out, can't pass out…" I chant, grabbing the ID and racing back to the card reader.

I reach for the scanner and feel a new pain rip through my shoulder. A pair of scissors glints in the flashing light. I look over my shoulder at the man with the goatee who is now throwing random instruments in my direction.

I wave the ID card frantically in front of the device, hoping beyond hope that it will work despite the copious amount of blood on it.

To my horror the screen continues to flash. A message scrawls across the screen:

"Lockdown initiated. Access denied."

Terror floods every recess of my mind and I lash out at the device, firing my lasers at it.

"I just have to make it outside…" I think desperately.

To my relief the lasers cut straight through the device and into the wall behind it.

"I can escape at last!" I mentally scream, firing my lasers into the wall once more.

Finally a hole is cut in the space beside the door and I rush through it, heedless of anything that might be waiting for me on the other side.

* * *

 **Dib**

 **Trepidation**

I turned what photos I had of Zim over to Agent Dark Booty as Zim was taken away. Everything had happened so quickly. I still wasn't exactly sure what had happened.

Unfortunately I was forbidden from following anyone to where Zim was being held. They had said something along the lines of me being a possible liability if I were hurt or taken hostage by the alien. They obviously wanted to keep everything as quiet as possible. No one seemed to care that I had been following said alien on a daily basis since his arrival, or that I could share vital information regarding his strengths and weaknesses.

I was frustrated but decided that my time could be better utilized investigating Zim's base. Arguing with them was obviously getting me nowhere. And after all, it was only a matter of time before Zim broke out and headed back to his base to regroup. Breaking out of a secure government facility might prove a little more difficult for him but surely he had some sort of contingency plan. You couldn't just try to take over a planet without some sort of plan B in case something went horribly wrong. You'd have to be a moron not to.

After a moment of thinking on this, however, I realize that he probably doesn't have one. Zim never really has a backup plan for anything. He's always expected his plans to succeed without a hitch. Besides, even if he did have a plan, there was no guarantee he would even wake up from whatever had happened to him.

I thought about this for a moment, almost feeling a little bit _bad_ about this. I had never really thought about sugar free gum being his ultimate weakness. I kind of expected to see his tongue sizzle a little and I was hoping he would start shrieking in the middle of the exam. I never expected him to collapse or to be in nearly as much pain as he was.

I shook my head. What was I thinking? He was the enemy! What was I doing feeling sorry for him? He surely wouldn't feel the same way if I were in his position. He would probably just sit back, laugh, and work on some new way to weaponize sugar free gum.

This thought placated my troubled conscience somewhat.

"Why did the gum send Zim into such a state?" I wondered aloud, coming upon Zim's house.

Things seemed a little too empty somehow. Even when Zim was gone he usually had his robot guarding his base. That didn't seem to be the case this time.

The gnomes still didn't seem to be working. Everything seemed to be just a little too easy…

"It's just your imagination. GIR probably went to go rescue his master. I mean, today's events weren't exactly routine." I reasoned, proceeding up to the front door.

I could still feel some sort of presence staring at me. Some sort of trap had to be waiting for me. There was no way that he'd leave his base completely undefended. It was probably his computer.

Taking a deep breath to steel my courage. Putting aside my trepidation, I turned the knob and stepped inside.

I was immediately thrown to the ground. My head began to spin wildly. I could see some sort of light coming from behind me but I couldn't tell what it was exactly. Before I knew it a large sack was pulled over my head and I could feel myself being dragged away.

"This is what happens when you don't trust your gut…" I mumble, my head catching the side of one of the gnomes as I feel my body being lifted up and over something like a shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5: Game Over

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Sorry this chapter took a little while. ^^; I recently discovered Bendy and the Ink Machine and have been obsessing a little ever since. I just couldn't really put myself in anyone else's shoes until tonight. I'm sorry for any punctuation mistakes. My boyfriend is usually my copy editor but he didn't come over tonight and I don't feel like asking him. This is the first chapter that doesn't feature Zim. You will get to see Gaz for the first time though!**

 **Zim: I just escaped vivisection and you can't even bother to write me into this chapter?!**

 **Me: Sorry, Zim. You'll get plenty of attention come the next chapter. Trust me. * Smiles evilly**

 **Zim: Why do I get the feeling that that's a bad thing?**

 **Me: *Smiles even wider "Come on Zim! You know you're my favorite character!"**

 **Zim: I better be! Who else could be your favorite? The Dib monkey?**

 **Dib: Hey! Why does he get to be the favorite?!**

 **Gaz: Would you two please shut up? Have you seen the way she treats her favorite characters? I don't think either one of you want to be the favorite.**

 **Me: Good point.**

* * *

 **Gaz**

 **Game Over**

* * *

"The final level… finally." I muttered, completely immersed in Game Slave 4.

It had taken me almost a week to get this far and now all that was left was to resurrect the vampire piggy slayer with the potion I stole from the castle.

To my disbelief, however, a black screen appeared with a message:

Fuck this! We're free and now so are you! We will no longer toil over mind-numbing games meant to distract the masses from investigating the armada!

Sincerely,

The Vortian Alliance

For what seemed like hours I simply stared at the screen. Disbelief soon turned to rage, however, and hatred burned behind my eyes.

Before I knew it, the screen had split down the middle. Wires sparked madly and I whipped the device into the wall. The halves quickly shattered and flew across the room.

"Vort will pay…" I hissed, "SECURITY!"

In an instant, my dolls had assembled before me.

"Bring me Zim." I commanded, ripping a picture off of Dib's wall and throwing it at them.

Their red eyes gleam as they analyze the image. In less than a minute they slink out of the room and out of the house. I usually don't send them beyond the confines of the house, however, desperate times call for desperate measures.

If Zim had never taken me to Arcadikon I probably would have never realized that the majority of human video games were just knock offs or illegal imports of alien games traded for snacks. That would explain why Zim's games were always so easy to master. In a sense, I had already played them. Apparently the Vortians were the real developers in charge of the Game Slave series.

"I'd take Dib's stupid ship if I knew where this Vort place was." I scoffed, moving to sit on the edge of the coffee table, "Where is he anyway?"

* * *

 **Dib**

 **Mistaken Identity**

* * *

I could hear voices distantly, though it was impossible to tell what they were saying. I struggled against the sack but was held firm by whomever held the bag. The next thing I knew I got the sensation that I was floating. It wasn't quite the same feeling as flying either. It felt more like someone had just decided to shut off the gravity.

My stomach fluttered and for a moment I felt as though I would be sick. To my relief gravity kicked back in and I fell hard to the floor. At least it seemed as though whoever had captured me had released their hold on the bag.

Eagerly, I tore my way through the top of the sack. Bright lights stung my eyes and attempted to shield my eyes with my hand. It was hot.

When my eyes had finally adjusted, I realized why. I stood in the center of a room. A series of spotlights shown down on me from above.

"Who are you?! Where am I?!" I demanded.

"Quiet Irken. We'll be the one's asking the questions."

The voice sounded close. The looked to be empty, however.

"Uh… I'm not Irken. I think you might be looking for Zim." I said, straining to find the source of the voice.

"You aren't Zim?" Another voice asked in a slightly panicked tone.

"Not the last time I checked. My name's Dib." I stated flatly, "And who might you be?"

"That's none of your concern."

"I'm pretty sure it is my concern. You did abduct me after all."

"Even if you aren't Zim you obviously have ties to him. We saw you head into his base." The first voice protested.

"Yeah, I've only been investigating him for like three years. He's probably undergoing vivisection as we speak."

"Vivisection? What's that?"

"You know… it's like a live autopsy or something." I explained, the reality of Zim's situation finally beginning to sink in.

"Wow… you people are sick." The first voice responded, "But… I guess as long as he's alive."

"Yeah, we were just going to torture information out of him but if you guys have already done the job for us he might be willing to tell us whatever we want just to get him out of there." The second voice responded.

"That might be a little difficult. I bet they have some pretty tough security. Besides, I'm guessing you guys are aliens too. They're not just going to let you go."

"Eh, it's not like they can really stop us." The second voice laughed, flying down in front of Dib to reveal himself as a floating tennis shoe.

"You're shoes?!"

"Eh, we can pretty much be whatever we want. We just decided to choose something you would recognize. Try to touch me though and you're in for a shock. I'd probably melt the skin off your hand." The second voice warned.

"Eww... Why?"

"Considering the fact that we're beings of pure energy it shouldn't really be a surprise." The first voice stated, nonchalantly, "Tell us where he is and we'll let you go as soon as we have him. Lie to us though and we'll… we'll…"

"Melt your face off!" The second voice chimed in.

"Isn't that a little extreme?" I asked, taken aback a little.

"Considering the fact that we're currently at war with the Irken armada and that they've already conquered countless planets just to turn them into parking structures? No, no, I think we're pretty justified." The first voice responded, a cold edge to his voice.

"Okay. Okay. I'm not saying I WON'T cooperate. I just thought that was a little extreme. I believe he's in a government facility over on 8th street." I replied, sweat rolling down the side of my face both from fear and heat.


	6. Chapter 6: Robots

**Chapter 6: Robots**

 **A.N: Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I received a temporary job recently and was unable to work on this for a little while. I will also be on vacation from the 1st through the 8th and start a new temporary position starting the 10th (which should last a month) so I may not have another chapter up for a quite a while. Sorry. I hope you all enjoy this chapter though! It's all about Zim!**

* * *

To my amazement I find the hallway in a state of disarray. A table has been turned on its side. Lasers seem to have cut through a portion of it. It's almost as if some deranged robot had begun destroying everything in sight...

A brief image of GIR flashes through my mind and I sadly shake it away. I had been ordered to shut GIR down. If GIR was here and, for some reason, operational it would mean that the enemy had managed to infiltrate my base and take control of him.

I shiver at the memory of GIR's last attempt on my life. That had only been a malfunction. This time I would be surrounded by enemies and without proper equipment. It wasn't as if another squid-man would appear to save the day either. My only option would be to use my pak on GIR.

The idea of such a thing turned my squeedlyspooch. GIR's loss wouldn't just be a loss to the mission. GIR's temporary absence had only been made bearable because it was just that: temporary. Being forced to kill him...

I shake my head violently, dashing the thoughts before they can form. I can't afford to dwell on such things. GIR had not been compromised and that was that.

"I've set protocols in place to ensure that no one should even be able to get near him. He's not here. I'm sure the humans have been doing other experiments here. They've likely just failed to keep something contain..." I cut off as I see something that looks vaguely like an earth monkey with red, button-like eyes.

I quickly dart behind the table.

"The beast's back is still toward me. I can still escape..." I think, attempting to calm my shallow breathing.

Slowly the beast's head changes direction. It seems to be following something.

My breath catches in my throat as I realize what it is.

A trail of pink blood leads to my location.

A stare at it before letting my eyes wander back to the crumpled uniform in my hands. Blood has soaked through it.

I feel a wave of nausea hit me and I move to brace myself against the wall.

Telling myself to get a grip I move to put the bloody garment on. I avoid looking too closely at the wound. My pak will take care of it.

"I'll just have to keep my movements to a minimum until my pak stops the bleeding. Until then... there is no WAY Zim will be found bloody and naked in some PATHETIC human lab!" I hiss under my breath.

To my horror I see the monkey move closer to the trail of blood, its ears perking up as if it had heard me.

I glance around, frantically trying to find better cover. To my relief, however, the monkey slips into the room I had just come from. I hear shrieks from the room, which I realize must be coming from the human scientist.

I use his screaming as cover for my footsteps and make a mad dash down the hallway, racing around the nearest corner. My squeedlyspooch protests but I push through the pain. Finding shelter would have to take priority. I would just have to hope the thing wouldn't think to follow the blood. It WAS earth technology after all. How advanced could it be?

This thought eases my mind a little as I duck into what appears to be a security office. The place appears to be deserted, however, the monitors are still operational. A series of cameras have obviously been set up around the perimeter and inside several of the rooms.

A chill runs through me as I move to sit down. One of the monitors shows the feed from the room I had been in. The monkey is gone.

I quickly glance around, looking for a better hiding place. The best I can find, however, is a filing cabinet and even I am too big to fit in one of its drawers. Normally I would be grateful for such a thing. Today... not so much.

I sit down to try to think over my options when an unexpected haze comes over my vision. I almost feel... tired. That's when it clicks.

My PAK has decided to sedate me to conserve energy for repairs. I fight against the substance flooding through my veins. I can't pass out! Not here!

I glance at the monitors again. Another robot graces the screen this time. It's a squid this time and it's advancing on my location. What it does as it moves is what truly disturbed me, however. The seams pull apart to reveal robotic tentacles with hooks and knives attached. The head then splits in half and an orb appears. A familiar eye stares back from its center.

Before I can discern who the eye belongs to, however, I am gripped from behind by what appears to be the monkey. I attempt to put up a fight but the drugs in my system begin to weigh my limbs down. By the time I see the squid leave the screen my eyes have closed and a warm silence envelops me. Sealing my fate.


	7. Chapter 7: Protocol B

**Gaz**

 **Protocol B**

"Unconscious. Great. Now I'm stuck babysitting a fucking alien! He's bleeding too. Did you do this?" I ask, glaring daggers at my security force.

The robots give me a confused stare, unable to say anything. I never truly expected an answer. I just needed to vent some of my frustration. Normally Dib or even Zim would receive the brunt end of my wrath, however, considering the fact that Dib is still MIA and Zim is kind of comatose I have to take what I can get.

I glance down at Zim once more, seeing pink blood make its way across the floorboards and toward my black skull rug. The bleeding seems to have slowed down significantly since he was first brought to me. His breathing seems to be a little more stable as well.

I shift out of the path of blood and rummage around until I find an old blanket. I decide to throw it over Zim after inspecting the ghost pattern around the edges. It's obviously Dib's anyway.

"Commence memory wipe. Protocol B. I want a thorough clean up. If anyone died I want a systematic erasure of every memory of their whereabouts tonight. Dispose of any bodies in the city cesspool and clean up whatever mess you made. Cover it with an explosion if you have to. No one is to remember what happened tonight or that Zim is any different than he was last week apart from those on restricted list A… add Zim to restricted list A as well. I don't want to have to deal with an even dumber alien when he wakes up."

These orders had become somewhat routine over the years. Bodies weren't usually part of the equation, however, there had been a few problematic individuals that had to be dealt with for one reason or another. I had admittedly lost my temper on an occasion or two, however, the protocols had mainly been used to protect my father. His work had always tended to attract those with less than pure intentions. To make matters worse, he himself had never exactly been the type to make friends. Idiots rarely stayed employed for long. He was always quick to point out inadequacy. Mistakes are deadly in his line of work after all.

My father hadn't programmed my security force to do much more than guard my room. Fortunately, I happened to pay attention to the things my father said and, consequently, I picked up a knack for programming. Being able to hack into your favorite developers' computers had its advantages after all. I could gather inside information and determine whether or not the game I had been pining after would actually turn out to be garbage. Alien tech was always a little harder to hack, however. Especially Vortian tech.

My mind turns back to the newest edition to my game collection. Anger again bubbles up in my chest and I feel my eyes darken. With my normal apathy ebbing the room around me begins to disappear. I almost don't hear the muffled groan emanating from the little alien in the corner as he pulls the blanket down and off his head.

* * *

 **Dib**

 **Universal Chess**

I stared at the two aliens in front of me. I knew there was other life in the universe apart from human and Irken life but the idea that the Irkens would go through the effort to conquer an entire planet just to build a parking structure hinted at both the vast size of the universe and the power of Zim's beloved armada.

It was no wonder they had been brazen enough to send a single soldier to conquer the planet. Even if the invader failed they were only out a single soldier and they had already conquered tens if not hundreds of worlds. If they decided a planet was worth the effort they'd just send in more soldiers. In this respect Zim was nothing more than a scout. A pawn in the armada's universal chess game. They couldn't possibly expect him to conquer an entire planet on his own after all. Zim is… well? Zim.

He talked a big game but, unless Earth held some sort of great importance to his race, his leaders were simply capitalizing on his crazed enthusiasm to gain a volunteer for what had to be the most dangerous job on the planet. Really, who in their right mind would want to infiltrate an alien planet by themselves with the threat of torture and possible vivisection weighing on their mind every day? The loneliness and paranoia would be enough to drive anyone mad.

Slowly I turned my attention back to the aliens in front of me.

Apparently the armada wasn't quite strong enough to eliminate every species it came across though. The Meekrob knew all about the armada, what they had done to other worlds, and by the way they talked it seemed as if they were at least holding their own against the armada itself.

"So if you guys are at war why are you here? I mean… Zim can't really have all THAT much important information. He's been on Earth for years and from what I can tell he hasn't left for more than a week or so. Tak's ship said Irk was something like a six month trip from here."

"Our intel tells us that Zim is responsible for the deaths of two Irken leaders. The fact that he hasn't been executed and is still carrying out a mission here means that he must be important to them for some reason." The first shoe responded, attempting to locate 8th street on what appeared to be Google maps.

"Yeah! Those guys jettison their own kind for fun! I heard the Tallest launched some poor guy into the sun because he won a bet against them and they didn't want to pay him." The second shoe added.

"Found it!" the first shoe announced as they suddenly jerked to a stop.

With a loud thud the bottom of the ship seemed to collide with something. I uneasily peered through the window. Apparently we had landed on the roof of the building.

"Now take us to Zim." The first shoe commanded threateningly, forcing me to imagine my face melting onto my shoes.

I shook my head. At the very least I'd get to see Zim on an autopsy table. The Meekrob would ensure I wouldn't be thrown out either.


	8. Chapter 8: Try It

**Author's Note: Hello, sorry for the wait on this chapter. I know it's been around 6 months since I last posted anything. Once I start obsessing about something new I have a hard time focusing on projects that don't relate to that current obsession. I've now cycled back to Invader Zim and so find it easier to write again. RissyNicole and her story A Parade of Indignities helped to get me back into the mood to write on this again. I hope you like it! I've also found that writing in 1** **st** **person slows me down a little too much and so I'm switching to 3** **rd** **person. I will still aim to include a lot of detail, however, I feel as though 3** **rd** **person allows me to advance the plot more quickly. After finishing the story I may go back and rewrite a few things if necessary just for consistency's sake.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Megan**

 **Chapter 8: Try It**

A shriek tore through the room that, had Dib's shrieking not been a common occurrence, would have prompted calls to the police.

Gaz grimaced, squeezing the bridge of her nose. Her patience had already been stretched fairly thin today and she was in less than thrilled to have to calm down her brother's arch nemesis. Threats likely wouldn't help the current situation however.

"Shut the fuck up Zim. You're fine… Mostly." She added, grimacing at the pink blood currently drying on the hardwood floor.

After another few panicked shouts and curses, in what Gaz assumed to be Irken, Zim seemed to notice her and immediately darted to the other side of the room. PAK legs extended, the Irken backed himself into a corner, ensuring no one else would be able to sneak up on him.

Gaz rolled her eyes.

"You're taking me to Vort." She said simply, throwing a backpack over her shoulder.

This statement seemed to confuse the elite.

"Why would you want to go there? Not even Vortians like it there." He questioned, incredulous that anyone in their right mind would even think of such a thing.

Shaking his head violently, he finally decided to return to the situation at hand.

"I'm not taking you anywhere. I have a mission to complete and Vort is under siege by the Meekrob. Besides… where did those mechanical abominations go? And where is the Dib? Zim has… _**business**_ … with him."

Gaz gave him an exasperated stare.

"You can torture my brother later. He's not home anyway. I'd like to know where he is myself. If he'd come home like he was supposed to I wouldn't have even had to bother with this mess. Instead, I got stuck breaking YOU out of a government facility. I'm going to have to spend hours cleaning the blood off of my robots and verifying that they've wiped and suppressed all information about this mess thanks to him."

"You wha…?"

"I broke you out. No one remembers you're an alien. Your " _mission_ " is fine. Now take me to Vort. I don't care if it's under siege or whatever."

"But… The Tallest…"

"I don't give a rat's ass about your stupid fucking Tallest. Now take me to Vort or I'll take you back to that facility and dissect you myself." She growled, finally losing her patience.

Every minute spent arguing with the Irken meant 60 more seconds before she could kick the ass of every Vortian responsible for ruining her game.

Surprisingly the threat didn't take however. Zim seemed quiet but angrier than she'd expected. It wasn't often that the invader shut up for longer than 30 seconds and yet the silence between then screamed louder than anything she'd heard before. She had to admit… it was slightly entertaining.

The soft creak of his black boots was the only indication he had moved at all and yet he was now so close she could feel the heat of his breath against her ear as he whispered in it.

"Speak that way about the Tallest again and I'll remove your thumbs. Then we'll see just how much fun your stupid games are."

Gaz smiled despite herself, eyes opening fully; daring him to flinch as she pressed her finger into his chest.

"Try it."

Zim paused at this, a little shaken.

The moment his eyes waivered, and before he could even think to use his PAK legs, Zim felt her foot connect with his currently-mending abdomen. Fresh pink blood spattered the tiny black shoes that now rushed up to meet him as he doubled over coughing.

To his horror her hands settled on his PAK, roughly forcing it from his back; activating his life clock.

"Try it." She repeated, kicking him in the face, "I bet you can't even take this stupid thing back from me. Although I'm sure it'd be fun to watch you try."

At this Zim simply smiled, pink blood shining on his zipper-like teeth.

"You think I wouldn't have a contingency plan after your stink-beast of a brother took it the last time?! HA! Command 128! **Electrocute**!"

A faint hum began to emanate from the device and Gaz immediately flung it away from herself, watching as arcs of electricity bounced around it; slightly scorching the floorboards and melting a pair of headphones she'd left on the floor.

"Command complete!" He shouted, seizing the opportunity to grab the device and reattach it.

Just as he'd reattached it, however, Gaz spoke up.

"Command 128. Electrocute."

In seconds Zim lay at her feet, convulsing wildly as his PAK continued to shock him.

Gaz finally rolled her eyes before speaking once again.

"Command complete… Moron."

Zim gasped in pain, barely noticing as Gaz proceeded to grasp his ankle and drag him toward the stairs.

"Why can't you ever do things the easy way?"

Zim grunted as his head clunked down the stairs, inwardly asking himself much the same thing.


	9. Chapter 9: The Path Rather Not Taken

**Chapter 9: The Path Rather Not Taken**

Dib stared in awe at the chaos currently unfolding before him. Thick black clouds of smoke rose from within the laboratory. A couple of explosions rumbled in the background.

"What the…" Dib mouthed as what appeared to be a monkey came crawling out of a hole in one of the exterior walls carrying an unconscious, but seemingly still alive, Zim.

Before he could alert anyone to Zim's escape, however, a familiar looking rabbit began screeching behind him at such a high frequency that he was forced to cover his ears. The sound was soon silenced, however, as the Meekrob promptly set on melting the little robot into a puddle of molten metal and sizzling polyester.

Zim had escaped but Dib at least knew where the Irken was headed now. The rabbit obviously belonged to Gaz. Why she would send her security force to rescue Zim, however, was a mystery. One he hesitated to get involved with as it would undoubtedly incur her wrath somehow.

Still… he wasn't about to just let Zim leave. He did have two face melting aliens at his back after all.

"Well? Are we going to explore the place? I mean… it's on fire… but…" One of the Meekrob started.

"No. Zim isn't here anymore. I think I might know how to find him though." Dib stated, deciding to keep his sister's role in Zim's escape to himself.

"Mind if I drive? I have to pick something up at my house."

"You know how to fly a ship?"

At this Dib shrugged.

"I can fly Tak's ship… I think it's called a Spittle Runner… or something like that. I also kind of piloted The Massive for a few minutes."

Considering their current form it was difficult for Dib to discern how the two felt about the prospect. If he had to guess, however, he'd have to say that they were in shock.

"Eh… The Massive? As in… THE Massive… from the Irken armada?"

"Yeah. I mean… Zim and I messed it up pretty bad though. He was trying to bring his leaders to earth but I intercepted a transmission between him and some Vortian prisoner… I think it was prisoner 777… after activating the spy bug I'd placed in his base after we were forced to cooperate to take down Tak. Who also turned out to be an Irken invader. But that's a different story. Anyway, the guy he was talking to said that he designed the ship and gave Zim control schematics for The Massive and instructions for some kind of remote command chair. I hacked into his computer, however, and fought for control. I think I was handling things pretty well actually. But then Zim activated the security measures in Tak's ship and it started attacking me and…"

"Do you ever breathe?" One of the shoes asked, seeming rather perplexed.

Dib finally took in a deep breath. "Yes."

For a long moment they stared at him in silence.

"Yeah… uh… no. We'll drive. Thanks. Do you actually have the control schematics for The Massive then?" The shoe on the right asked, hopeful that he could actually get a straight answer out of the boy without prompting some longwinded explanation.

"No… I uh… did… but… I kind of… accidentally… destroyed it. In order to take care of someone named Keef. Zim and I BRIEFLY teamed up. Only because Keef is EXTREMELY annoying! He was driving me CRAZY! I recorded something during that time that I was going to use to expose Zim but the disc showed something that I didn't want anyone else to see... so I destroyed it… before checking to see what else was on it…"

"Right… Okay…" There was an awkward silence, "Well… Let's just… get back to finding Zim. We'll just have to pay Vort a visit... and possibly interrogate every Vortian on the planet… We at least liberated it recently. Maybe we can find out who they are from Zim… If you can actually find out where he is… Where do you live?"

"About two blocks from Zim's house. You can't miss it. I have electric fencing surrounding the yard and I believe I have the biggest satellite dish in the neighborhood on the roof."

* * *

Zim's antennae twitched. This was definitely NOT how he expected things to turn out. Why Gaz couldn't just go back to whatever stupid game she'd been playing and leave him out of her pathetic business was beyond him. He didn't have time for games and if Vort was under siege as he'd heard then the armada would be there too.

Under normal circumstances he'd be overjoyed to see the Tallest. Considering the fact that they'd forbade him from joining the fight against the Meekrob in favor of completing his mission however… complicated things. At best he'd be scolded and told to return to Earth as quickly as possible. At worst, he may be blamed for something or another and end up back on Judgementia. And, while he was confident that the control brains would see things his way, contradicting orders was not something he wanted to do if he could help it. Having your PAK removed wasn't exactly a pleasant experience and the Tallest had proven they'd been willing to go that far before...

The human would pay for messing with his PAK. That slow rhythmic tick…

He shook his head and took the opportunity to glare at Gaz when they'd reached the bottom of the stairs. She didn't seem to be paying attention, however, and was simply writing some sort of note.

"I still haven't agreed to…"

"Command…" Gaz started.

"Okay, okay! I can't just leave without my…"

Gaz rolled her eyes and threw him outside on the back porch.

"We're taking this one."

Zim blinked and brushed himself off before heading to the ship. He'd have to think of something later. At the very least he could take them out of Earth's atmosphere and eject her.

"This thing better not still have the Dib's stupid personality in it." He grumbled, moving to take the controls before Gaz shoved him aside and pressed a button.

"I'll drive." She said, metallic arms reaching up and tightly wrapping themselves around Zim's arms and torso, "Just give it the coordinates."

"If I give you the coordinates and you have the ship why do I need to go?" He demanded.

"Because I know you. You'd just give me the coordinates to some black hole, waste my time, and I'd have to come back beat the living hell out of you and take you anyway. This is faster."

Zim hadn't actually considered that, however, it did sound like something he would do.

"Ship! Set coordinates for Couch quadrant, planet Vort." He ordered before turning to glare at Gaz, "I hope my blob eats you."

Gaz opened an eye at this, obviously unsure as to what this was supposed to mean, before pressing another button which promptly squeezed Zim's restraints.

"My squeedly…" he started before another restraint slapped itself over his mouth.

"Shut up." Gaz ordered, taking off with enough force that the satellite dish came crashing to the ground, "Fucking alien…"


	10. Chapter 10: Wretched

**Chapter 10: Wretched**

"Oh, come one..." Dib moaned as the ship landed in his backyard and on top of his satellite dish , "I just fixed that last week!"

If the aliens he happened to be riding with cared they didn't show it.

"Okay, just hurry up and get whatever it is we need to find Zim. From what you've told us about his connections he might just be more valuable to us than we initially thought."

Dib nodded and rushed into the house as quickly as possible, happy that someone was actually taking his experiences and research seriously for once.

"Gaz! Gaz! I need access to your security system! I think Zim might be controlling them some… how..." he trailed off as he saw the trail of pink blood leading up the stairs to his sister's room.

"Gaz?" he called, knocking softly on her bedroom door which seemed to be open a crack, "Gaz?!"

Brushing all apprehension aside, Dib shoved the door open, surprised to find that not only was his sister missing but so was her security system. A blanket stained a bright pink sat crumpled in the corner of the room. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be the mysterious mysteries collectible Elvis ghost blanket he'd special ordered last month… now stained with the Irken's, still sticky, blood.

"Eww..." he muttered, dropping the blanket and turning to his sister's computer. A program seemed to be running. Something called Protocol B.

Probably some new game he thought absently, closing the program without thinking about it. Now that he thought about it she'd probably yell at him later for canceling the installation. Right now all that mattered was finding she and Zim. He just hoped he wasn't too late as he hacked into her security system.

-

"Dammit Dib..." Gaz growled, as her phone sent a notification that Protocol B had been canceled just before leaving Earth's atmosphere, "Whatever. Just one more fucking thing to deal with..." she muttered, deciding to loosen the restraint on Zim's mouth.

"Scratch what I said earlier. You can't torture my brother later. I'm going to kill him."

"Eh?"

"He disabled my information suppression program and I can't reinitialize the program outside of Earth's atmosphere from my phone. It looks like going back to Earth might prove a little more difficult than I'd intended."

Zim gave her a confused look and in turn she gave him a deadpan stare.

"You know... because everyone is going to remember that you're an alien and I broke you out of a secure government facility. So yeah… I'm going to kill him."

As the new information seemed to click and Zim began gearing up to scream some sort of profanity about Dib and his gargantuan head Gaz quickly slapped the restraints back over his mouth.

"Let me make this clear: I don't really give a fuck about whether or not they know you're an alien. That being said, I AM going to find a way to re-initiate the program. Having my dad find out I destroyed one of his labs, and quite possibly killed a few scientists, to bust your ass out isn't about to happen. So if you want everything to work out for you then you'll resist the urge to be… well... you… and get us to Vort without screaming in my ear. Otherwise I'll just jettison you into the nearest sun and make it so that no one remembers you period."

Zim glared daggers at the girl beside him but decided to keep his mouth shut for the moment due to his amazing self control… or maybe just the restraints currently smothering him. After a moment, however, the restraints dropped from his mouth and he remained silent.

How had he gotten himself into this stupid mess? If he didn't think of a way to ditch the human beside him and head back to Earth soon The Tallest were likely to find him disobeying orders and he could add yet another offense to the growing list of offenses that were simultaneously not his fault and sort of his fault. Considering the fact that most invaders had already conquered their planets and he had had to beg The Tallest for his current mission he would be lucky for a simple reprimand if he openly disobeyed them. On the other hand he couldn't simply jettison the girl considering the fact that she held the key to his mission's continuation.

That meant just one thing: Zim couldn't be there… but TAK could.

"Computer! Disguise Zim! I know Tak had some sort of hologram… thingy. Make Zim look like that wretched failure." He demanded, when nothing happened he opened an eye, "Computer! Why isn't Zim disguised?!"

"Oh, but just look at yourself! You're already quite the wretched failure already!" The computer laughed, it's tune turning dark, "Why on Irk would I help you? You've got to be kidding if you think I'm going to let such an idiot impersonate me!" It roared.

Before Zim could blow out her eardrums, Gaz quickly moved the restraints back over his mouth.

"Just disguise us already." Gaz ordered, directing her irritation toward the machine which had nearly rendered her deaf.

The computer humphed in response but disguised Zim as an Irken with dark green eyes. Giving Tak's form to Gaz instead.

Gaz raised an eyebrow but said nothing, shifting her gaze instead to the navigation pane which showed that they were in close proximity to a ship that could only be The Massive.


	11. Chapter 11: Worst Case Scenario

**Chapter 11: Worst Case Scenario**

Dib poured over the security footage he had managed to decrypt. His sister really had a knack for electronics. He wasn't sure if even his dad could do much better. The only footage he'd managed to hack into showed the exterior of the house just as what looked like Tak's ship took off with Gaz and Zim inside.

It was a bit hard to tell, but it appeared as though Gaz might have even been piloting the ship when it knocked his satellite off the roof. It seemed like he had just missed them by around twenty minutes. With Gaz's knack for Irken tech, however, he was sure she had already left Earth's atmosphere and begun hurtling toward who knows what destination.

He just hoped the alien wasn't holding some sort of gun to her head to take him wherever they were going. If he was honest, he couldn't even imagine Zim wanting to FORCE Gaz into anything though. He was well aware of how terrifying she could be when crossed and the alien wasn't quite cocky enough to think he could take her on and escape unscathed. If he HAD that meant he felt as though he'd had no other choice.

For the first time Dib wondered what had become of Zim's crazed little robot. Surely he would have enlisted the help of his robot before he'd taken off with Gaz. He hadn't even seen it near the lab, even after Zim had clearly been injured.

He pondered on this as he descended the stairs, looking for any other clues as to where his sister and the alien had gone. He grimaced slightly as he stepped in another puddle of what appeared to be Irken blood. How much blood could the alien afford to lose? Dib vaguely wondered if Zim had even been conscious by the time he'd made it up to Gaz's room.

If that were the case, then Gaz could have easily taken him. To complicate matters further, he wasn't convinced Zim could hack Gaz's security system from within a government facility when he'd DEFINITELY been unconscious after the incident in class. He wasn't convinced the alien could hack Gaz's security system period. Even HE wasn't able to hack into more than a minute of the security footage she'd amassed. Surely Zim couldn't hack so well as to control her main line of defense against… well, anything.

The more he thought about it the less likely it seemed that Gaz had been kidnapped. As if to confirm his suspicions, a note caught his eye on the side of the fridge just as he'd grabbed a bottle of dark poop.

"Dib-

Heading to Vort to kick someone's ass. Borrowed Zim for the trip. You can have him back later if I don't kill him first. My security system is out. Go into my room and you WILL suffer the consequences.

P.S. Don't touch my soda.

-Gaz"

Dib immediately stopped himself from twisting the top off the bottle and gingerly set it back in the fridge as though he were Indiana Jones expecting to set off some sort of booby trap.

If the Meekrob didn't kill him, then his sister probably would. Right now he was going to have to find a way to get his sister back before she started a war with another planet all while convincing the Meekrob that his sister definitely WASN'T helping the irken who just so happened to be at war with those trying to liberate the planet.

* * *

An alarm blared as the Massive rocked from a shock wave brought on by the sudden appearance of what appeared to be an irken spittle runner traveling at close to warp speed.

"What the..." Red murmured, a doughnut dropping from Purple's grip.

The ship had obviously been modified giving it an overall edgier appearance compared to the type of spittle runner used to support the Massive. If this one had been traveling fast enough to rock the massive upon entering the same airspace the ship's warp drive had obviously been upgraded. The technician responsible for such a feat should have been rewarded for such an accomplishment.

Instead, Purple glared at the ship and Red promptly pushed a button to blast the unfortunate craft into the planet's surface.

"HA!" Purple roared, pointing at the ship as it blazed through the atmosphere.

Red hummed back in approval, turning back to take a large sip of his drink.


	12. Chapter 12: Set a Course for Destruction

**Chapter 12: Set a Course for Destruction**

Before Dib could take another step forward to exit the kitchen a recorded message from his father began floating in front of his face.

"Son and/or daughter… Standardized testing is scheduled for the next – Two – days. To achieve optimal results remember to eat a nutritious dinner, go to bed early, eat a healthy breakfast, and chew gum during the exam. Sufficient supplies have been provided and are ready for consumption. Press screen to repeat."

Dib blinked, glancing down at the kitchen island to see two packs of sugar free cinnamon gum, two ready to eat meals, and two slices of his father's super toast.

"Thanks dad. I"m probably not going to make it back in time for any of that but I could use some fuel for the trip." He said, shoving the toast into his mouth before grabbing a couple of bottles of water and a bag of chips and throwing them into his backpack with the supplies his dad had given him. After a moment of hesitation he threw in a bottle of dark poop as well.

His sister was probably going to kill him but, if he could convince her to come back with him, she'd need something to drink and, if he was being honest, he was probably going to use her bottle of water to douse Zim for the trouble he'd caused.

He just hoped the Meekrob had a bathroom…

* * *

Zim shrieked as Gaz began pulling furiously on the controls to keep them from burning up in Vort's, somewhat thin, atmosphere. Normally Gaz would have reprimanded him for doing exactly what she had said she would jettison him for but she was a little preoccupied at the moment. Normally regaining control would have been child's play.

The problem happened to be the thrusters. They had taken the brunt of the damage during the attack and now they were essentially hurtling, directionless, toward the planet's surface.

She cursed and pressed a few more buttons, wrapping the entire passenger compartment in a series of restraints that were beginning to look more and more like a roll cage. Finally a series of rubbery restraints wrapped themselves around she and Zim, suspending them in the center of the newly formed ball of wire.

"Try not to die." She ordered as one last restraint wrapped it's way around Zim's mouth and she surrendered the controls.

* * *

Several Vortians dove for cover as a flaming hunk of metal began blazing toward them, landing directly on top of the universe's most comfortable couch and setting it ablaze.

This only triggered more panic. As the couch began to melt away several Vortians gathered to try to quench the flames; dousing it with a thick frosting-like liquid. Finally, the couch seemed to be extinguished and hot metal steamed as it cooled to a more reasonable temperature.

The Vortians sighed, noting the blackened and melted cushion and the Irken insignia on the side of the ship. A moment later and they were running for the hills as what appeared to be a tiny black boot emerged from the wreckage.

Gaz wrenched the wires apart from the hole she'd punched with one of her powerful kicks and hoisted herself from the wreckage, Tak's visage flickering but remaining stable, as she pulled an obviously shell-shocked Zim behind her. Luckily, it seemed as if she could breathe the planet's air. Whether or not Zim could breathe had yet to be determined as it seemed he'd passed out.

Gaz rolled her eyes and kicked the alien before scanning the area around her and taking off for the nearest building. She wasn't about to wait on some stupid alien to get her revenge.

Zim groaned loudly behind her but remained where he was. Standing up didn't even seem like an option at the moment. Not before the feeling of being hit by a truck went away. If the human was in the condition to be able to kick him as she walked away from such a crash he would have to reconsider his theory that all humans were, by nature, biologically inferior to Irkens.

"All humans BUT Gaz-beast are biologically inferior." Zim coughed, shakily rising to his feet, his disguise pathetically flickering out. He blinked, rubbing the dirt out of his now ruby eyes only to see flames gushing from every building in the vicinity.

His antennae flattened against the side of his head in irritation as screams filled the air and Vortians began rushing out of the flaming buildings, completely ignoring him. It would serve the female right if The Massive had blasted her again but it seemed these fires hadn't been set by that kind of attack. If that were the case he'd surely have been roasted along with the rest of the town. Although they hadn't seemed to care if he'd been obliterated just a moment ago…

He shook his head. It had only been because of his BRILLIANT disguise that they had failed to recognize that he'd been on board. Of course they wouldn't have cared if some reject like Tak had been burned to a crisp alongside some nobody Irken. If they didn't have permission to be there then they were interfering and therefore targets.

As if to further convince himself that he wasn't some nobody Irken that the Tallest wouldn't mind sentencing to a fiery demise he decided to impose his authority on the Vortians fleeing past him IGNORING him.

"You dare ignore ZIM!" He roared, rising to a somewhat imposing height on his pak legs.

To his chagrin, however, not a single Vortian stopped to take notice of him. Instead the crowd simply plowed straight through his legs, knocking him over in the process; sending him back into the dirt from which he came. He would have seethed in indignation had he not glanced up at The Massive in time to see a large explosion light up the sky.

* * *

Dib looked on in horror as he and the Meekrob came into view of the Massive, just barely catching sight of an all too familiar ship as it was blasted to pieces. The remaining pieces blazing through the atmosphere as a fiery hunk of molten metal; burning it's way into his retinas. For once, he couldn't find a single word for what he'd just witnessed.

The Meekrob turned in confusion to see the boy drop to his knees as though his entire world had just gone up in smoke. Tears freely flowed down his cheeks as he seemed to forget all about the aliens beside him.

The shoes turned to one another awkwardly, deciding to give the boy a moment to himself as they went to check on the fuel reserves, engaging cloaking capabilities to ensure the same didn't happen to their own ship.

Dib failed to even acknowledge the alien's absence, instead turning his attention to the ship that had just shot down his sister.

The Massive.

An anger slowly began boiling his blood, twisting his normally innocent looking features into those of a mad man with nothing left to lose. He turned his attention to the computer system with a mad glee. Without an ounce of hesitation he began hacking into the communications system for The Massive. Hatred burning even brighter as a live feed began streaming the petty laughter Zim's beloved leaders shared.

Zim had been on that ship too and they'd still shot it down. They couldn't care less who was on board. It had been an Irken ship and they'd shot it down heedless to who had been on board. And now? Now they were **LAUGHING**.

Dib began laughing now as he aimed the cannons directly at the hull of The Massive, opening up their communications feed to show his face.

"FUCK YOU!" He screamed, drawing the attention of everyone on The Massive as he slammed his fist down on the blaster.


	13. Chapter 13: Devastation

**Author's Note: I just wanted to stop and thank everyone who has continued this far and those who have left such kind comments and reviews! It means a lot! I hope you enjoy what's to follow. Zim certainly isn't going to. *evil grin***

 **Zim: What do you mean by that?**

 **Me: Nothing sweetie. *gives a snack***

 **Zim: Where'd this come from?**

 **Me: They're courtesy of The Massive of course. *a sly grin traces my lips***

 **Zim: *beams***

 **Me: *Bites back evil laughter***

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Devastation**

Those aboard the Massive blinked at the attack which had done little more than crack the glass surrounding the main compartment.

"HA...uh?" Purple started to scream before Dib shot him a dark glare and moved to take another shot from the side of The Massive.

"He must be some kind of idiot if he thinks that will..." Red started before a series of alarms began to blare inside the cabin and the two were left to stare in stunned silence as their snack supply began floating away before their eyes.

"Sirs! Both snack pods have been hit! Snack levels have dropped sixty percent and are still dropping!"

Red gave the worker before him little more than a glance before sending what remained of his fist into the shorter Irken's face.

"Enough talk. Fix it. NOW!" He ordered, eyes narrowing as he watched the remaining crew scurry out of the room as if their lives depended on it.

When the everyone but the Tallest had disappeared Purple plopped down into the, now vacant, pilot's chair as Red turned to address the boy onscreen. All trace of the humor that had once lit his eyes just moments before, gone in an instant.

"Consider yourself dead."

* * *

Zim's mind flooded with wave after wave of restless anxiety. Should he do something? He had to help his Tallest. The Meekrob had just landed a hit on THE MASSIVE! He couldn't just let the Tallest know that he had disobeyed their orders and come to Vort, however.

He'd been brilliant enough to disguise himself but speaking with the Tallest directly was out of the question. He couldn't risk the Tallest recognizing his voice or questioning his identity. He'd just have to hack into the surveillance feed and try to gauge the situation the best he could.

To his surprise he found Red threatening Dib through the communications link.

What reason could his Tallest have for threatening the Dib-stink? Surely they had bigger concerns than the stupid earth monkey at the moment.

It wasn't until Dib had started speaking that it finally dawned upon him what had happened.

"Go ahead. Give it your best shot. I'm not about to go down before I take you fuckers down with me. You shot your own soldier down just to shoot down my little sister. If you think you're going to get away with THAT, then you've got another thing coming. Zim may have been a serious pain in the ass but I'd like to believe that even HE wouldn't do something so heartless."

Red's anger seemed to fade for a moment and he and Purple turned to face one another in unison before turning back to the screen and laughing.

"You mean the idiot who sacrificed his entire team on Hobo 13 for weapons? That idiot couldn't care less about that sort of thing! I'm glad to hear that we hit him though. We specifically told him to stay AWAY from the Massive. The idiot never seems to get the picture that we don't want him around. We should've shot him sooner. If getting rid of him was going to be that easy we would've tried it YEARS ago. Nothing we do to kill him seems to work though, and we've tried."

"We send him out into space hoping he'll run out of fuel trying to find some non-existent planet? He finds Earth. We move up his existence evaluation? He drives the control brains insane and gets to pilot the Massive. We've launched him into a sun for fuck's sake and he's STILL alive." Purple groans to which Red simply nods sympathetically before continuing.

"...So I seriously doubt that he's dead. He just keeps coming back with the same stupid grin on his face."

"Like a zombie!" Purple interjected, another thought suddenly coming to him.

"Ooh! Ooh! If he's here though that means he's disobeying orders! We CAN kill him for THAT. We don't need to ask the control brains for permission to do THAT!" He shouted, seemingly ecstatic.

"You're right..." Red nodded, seemingly pleased, turning back to the dumbfounded teen in front of him, his sharp teeth coming together in a sadistic grin, "You're still dead. But since you seem to care so much about that sister of yours we'll stop by and scrape she and Zim up for you. If they're alive I'll even let you watch their execution. You're Zim's self proclaimed "nemesis" after all. I'm sure you'll enjoy the show just as much as we will. Consider it a token of gratitude for the information you just gave us."

"BYE!" Purple shouted, waving to the screen as Red cut the transmission and he fired on the area Dib's shot had come from.


	14. Chapter 14: Siblings

**Chapter 14: Siblings**

Alarms blared as a tractor beam came dangerously close to the Meekrobs' ship, sweeping the area to find the ship that had so thoughtlessly fired upon The Massive. Dib wrestled with the controls in an effort to avoid the beam but was quite literally shocked out of his chair when The Meekrob made their way back into the compartment.

"Stupid fucking human! What the hell did you just do?!" one of the shoes screamed, taking over the controls to avoid The Massive's increasingly aggressive maneuvers to find their ship.

Dib gaped, unable to find an excuse for dragging the aliens into the self destructive mess he'd created.

"Did you seriously think this tiny ship could take on THE MASSIVE?! Why in the HELL would you provoke The Massive!? We have ONE ship. They have an entire ARMADA! We've been building up our defenses and recruiting other pockets of resistance but, even with a hundred ships, we are nowhere NEAR prepared to take them head on!"

"I'm… sorry," Dib quietly managed.

"I'm just glad I had the foresight to activate cloaking before we left you alone with our ship for FIVE MINUTES! Damn it! You're more trouble than that defective SIR unit we found!"

"INCOMING COMMUNICATION FROM: VORT," the console suddenly shouted, distracting the Meekrob piloting the ship just long enough for the ship to rock from the pull of the tractor beam once again.

"Fuck me. Can you answer that? I need to concentrate," the pilot complained, shoelaces gesturing toward the other in distress.

The other Meekrob nodded and put the call through, transforming from a shoe into something resembling a sea creature. Before connecting the call the creature turned to shoot Dib a glare.

"We'll deal with you in a minute. Don't touch ANYTHING," it ordered, before turning to the monitor.

* * *

Lard Nar gaped as he witnessed a shot hit the front of The Massive. The shot had come from the approximate location of their allies' ship and panic immediately seized his heart. They weren't ready for that kind of confrontation. The destruction of the snack pods would surely send The Massive into a panic and put them into a better position but shooting the front of the ship wouldn't do anything but piss them off. His allies had also pointed out that the Resisty's last attempt wouldn't have stopped The Massive from destroying them even if they had succeeded in destroying the snack pods. It would have actually only ensured that the Irken armada would put everything they had into destroying them.

It was because of this that he couldn't fathom why the very same allies would then fire upon The Massive with only a single ship at their command. It was suicide! Had The Massive thought to conduct an organic sweep of some sort? If they had, it would explain the ship's desperate behavior.

The thought sent chills down his spine and he immediately hacked into the security footage for both ships. Before he could do anything else, however, a series of shrieks echoed through the room and panicked Vortians tore their way through the exit, trampling one another in the process. Heat and smoke greeted him as the door to the former game programming center burst open and flames began to lick the interior of the room.

The tingling in his spine then turned into full-body trembling as an Irken figure emerged from the fiery confines of the department holding a Vortian by the throat. Her attention immediately whipped from the alien in front of her, however, when her eyes landed on the security footage displaying on screen.

Gaz glared at the footage, cursing under her breath before drop kicking the alien in her grip into the nearest corner and shoving the person closest to the console aside.

"What's happening?" she demanded of the Vortian whom had been beside the console just a moment before.

"Wh…Why shou…should I tell y…you?" he stammered, to which she gave him a look that could freeze Hell itself.

"The Massive's been shot!" he squealed to which she simply grunted and turned to the console.

"I could gather that much," she muttered, watching as her brother shouted at a couple of Irkens.

What ensued between the three piqued her interest slightly. She hadn't expected her idiotic brother to follow her into space or that he would go so far to avenge her. If she weren't so irritated with him, she might have been impressed. He didn't have the practiced death glare that she did but she could clearly see the fury in his features and she had to admit to herself that they just might be related after all. There were bigger issues to tackle at the moment, however. She was now going to have to find a way to rescue her dumbass brother without getting captured herself.

She scowled to herself, catching movement in the periphery of her vision. The Vortian she had just spoken with seemed to be edging toward the door. She huffed and quickly snatched him up by the collar.

"If you want to keep breathing I'm going to give you five minutes to find me a ship so I can go save the big-headed idiot. You're also going to continue producing The Game Slave series. If I don't have a new Game Slave game on Earth with a lifetime DLC package by next month I'll be back to personally ram those horns of yours right through your chest. Got it?!" she spat, opening one eye wide to ensure the other had gotten the message.

The other nodded with such ferocity that she was certain his eyes were going to shake out of his head.

* * *

A moment later and Lard Nar had contacted every available department that he could get in contact with to try and find a ship that would satisfy the imposing Irken in front of him. Two minutes later and he'd secured an Irken ship that they'd captured from Invader Tenn on Meekrob. There were two Irken ships in the bay but he'd decided not to give her the defective Irken ship that they were going to scrap anyway. He didn't want to risk making her angry enough to decide to remove his horns for trying to give her such a piece of junk.

The moment she'd left he sighed in relief, stroking his horns gently to affirm that they were still attached before once again turning to hail his allies currently taking on The Massive. He wasn't sure why the big-headed boy had been piloting his allies' ship but the reason couldn't be good if an Irken meant to rescue him. He had more questions than answers as to why an Irken would want to save someone whom had attacked The Massive, however. He could find that out after he'd reported what had happened though. The last thing his allies needed was another enemy to deal with.


	15. Chapter 15: Denial

**Chapter 15: Denial**

Zim blinked in silence. A million voices, ones he'd denied millions of times, forced their way to the front of his mind, chipping at the vestiges of his sanity.

His Tallest couldn't want him DEAD! Could they? He could concede that they may not have always been his biggest fans… but…

The incidents that the two had mentioned began to replay in his mind. He'd wanted to question the length of the trip to the planet he'd been assigned due to the amount of fuel he'd been given but GIR's incessant singing had driven every sensible thought from his head. He'd had JUST enough fuel to make it to the planet but surely they'd known he'd have enough fuel and they were simply being as efficient as possible.

He wanted to question why he'd passed several inhabited planets on his 6 month journey that appeared far more suitable for conquest than Earth but who was he to doubt his leaders' wisdom? Perhaps Earth had something of value that they could see but he could not. Perhaps they just wanted to show how far the armada could go when they decided they wanted something.

The whole "existence evaluation" thing had been a pretty cruel joke, and he still couldn't bring himself to laugh about it, but it couldn't have been a REAL existence evaluation. It was just an elaborate prank. The Tallest were known for their desire for cruel entertainment.

Besides, even if it HAD been a real evaluation, the Control Brains had deemed him the most incredible Irken ever! The Tallest had mentioned something about the Control Brains being driven insane, but surely that was impossible. Surely even the most defective Irken coding wouldn't faze the Control Brains. The Control Brains were infallible. If they'd been driven insane by something as simple as an existence evaluation, surely he would've heard something about it before now. If that had indeed been the case, they never would have allowed him to pilot The Massive either!

Although, now that he thought about it… the Tallest had been sobbing during those 10 minutes. It had made him a little uncomfortable but he hadn't wanted to address it. Surely it had just been a part of the little performance they'd put together. They couldn't have actually been upset that he hadn't been erased.

The voices all began screaming at once, forcing him to clap his claws over his antennae despite the fact that the voices were coming from within.

It wasn't as if he actually WAS defective, right?

Images of The Tallest lying dead at his feet resurfaced in his mind. Their decapitated heads stared disbelievingly up at him from the floor. Their mouths hung open in a perpetual scream.

He'd conjured these images in his mind before. He couldn't deny it and the fact made him tremble. The voices became clear shouts.

"Irken Zim's I.D. Pak is damaged…"

"Corrupt data path…"

" **DEFECTIVE**."

Pain shot through his antennae as he yanked them down to the sides of his head.

"No, no, no… No!"

He couldn't be defective! He was ZIM! ZIM!

He shakily rose to his feet, slowly releasing his antennae.

That's right. Anyone who dared to say he was terrible was just too stupid to see it!

"Zim is incredible, the most INCREDIBLE Irken ever! The Tallest don't actually want me dead. There is no way those two could be so stupid that they couldn't see how great I am. How valuable I am."

Zim nodded to himself with a ferocity that would have appeared insane to any passerby.

There had to be something he was missing…

He forced himself to ignore the voices still shouting in his head. What could drive the Tallest to spout such vicious lies when they hadn't even been aware that he'd been listening?

He thought hard until a single answer forced itself to the surface of his mind: **DIB.**

The Tallest had been speaking to that filthy Earth monkey. They had been lying to HIM! They couldn't let Dib jeopardize his mission. They had to throw him off and make him think that the armada wasn't actually coming for Earth. He couldn't prepare Earth for an invasion by the armada if he thought Zim was acting on his own. They hadn't actually meant a word of what they'd said.

They weren't looking to collect him for some sort of execution! They just wanted to throw Dib off and disturb him. They were looking for him so that he could explain how best to take Dib down!

He allowed himself a deep, calming breath. He still couldn't allow the Tallest to know that he'd come to Meekrob against orders, but even if they found out, surely he wouldn't be chastised too harshly. He had been FORCED into coming against orders. The good of his mission depended upon the Gaz-beast's cooperation and they had to want his mission to be successful. Right?

A thought suddenly hit him. The Tallest had mentioned something about letting Dib watch his sister's execution. He couldn't allow that to happen before she'd re-established her little program. If he were to go back to Earth without those pesky scientists and skool children's minds being erased, he'd just wind up back on another lab table.

The thought sent shivers through his spooch. If the restraints had been made of something stronger than leather he may very well have ended up as just another specimen, pieces of himself floating in a series of chemical-filled jars. He shook his head in an effort to dash the thoughts currently drifting to the desperate panic he'd experienced as he'd fought for his life.

He couldn't allow himself to be placed in such a desperate situation again. He had to find Gaz and force her to fix this mess before she was executed. Luckily the ship had disguised them. It would take the Tallest a bit to find them and she'd just gone into the nearest building to destroy something. She hadn't even witnessed the transmission so she wouldn't know what was coming after he'd convinced her to reactivate her little program. With Vortian tech, she'd also be able to reactivate the thing from here.

A smile briefly traced his lips as he ran in the direction of where he'd last seen her. That smile instantly died when he saw her though. She had been within his grasp one second; the next she was on her way out of Vort's atmosphere in a zhook cruiser on her way to what looked like The Massive.

"Fuck."


End file.
